Sluggish Alejo Muniz succumbs to Gabriel Medina in Round 3 heat at Volcom Fiji Pro
Gabriel Medina from Brazil comfortably advanced through into the fourth round at Volcom Fiji Pro, the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Series, after putting on a superb show to down fellow countryperson Alejo Muniz in the fifth heat of Round 3 at the alternate venue of Restaurants in Tavarua, Fiji, on Saturday, June 9.
The affair turned out to be completely one-sided, with Medina’s exquisite performance leading to a premature end of the latest stop on the elite tour for his rival.
“I had so much fun out there,” Medina said. “It was a fun heat against Alejo [Muniz]. He’s a good friend of mine and I got a couple of fun ones and got a couple of barrels. I just went for it. The waves are so perfect and I just tried to surf and have fun out there.”
The disorganised swell at the main venue of Cloudbreak compelled the event organisers to shift to the secondary event site of Restaurants for the third and possibly fourth round. The draining four-to-six foot waves on offer served as a perfect canvas for the world’s best surfers to put their huge array of skills on display, much to the delight of the fans who hungry for a complete day of exciting action.
The fifth heat of Round 3 pitted Medina against Muniz in a man-on-man battle for the Round 4 spot. Medina had not gotten the best of starts in the ASP Dream Tour, struggling to find consistency and rhythm. The opening round at Fiji had not turned out to be anything better for him, but he fought back strongly in the second round to reveal his true potential and remind everyone why he was competing against the surfing elite for the coveted ASP World Title.
As the fifth heat of Round 3 got underway, the 19-year-old Brazilian powerhouse got off to a solid start. In the early stages on the heat, he locked a massive barrel and rode deep into it to earn an 8.00 from the judges for the heroics. He went on to catch another juicy wave and utilise it to pull off a series of quick turns to earn a 7.93 for the effort consequently finishing with a heat-total of 15.93 points.
Muniz looked unimpressive from the start and failed to build momentum as the heat progressed. Scoring a 3.83 and 3.97 off his best-two waves, he finished with a heat-total of 7.80 points, losing to Medina due to an 8.13-point deficit.
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